Catholic Social Services Victoria says the passage of new laws that strip legal rights from non-citizens set to be deported is a “deeply troubling piece of legislation that can be used to undermine core principles of justice and human dignity”.
The home affairs legislation passed the Senate on Thursday, after a snap three-hour parliamentary hearing the night before, The Guardian reported.
The bill amends the Migration Act with the aim of speeding up the deportation process by removing the cohort’s right to natural justice – and therefore further legal challenges – once the Government decides to send them to Nauru.
A number of Catholic Social Services Victoria’s member organisations serve people seeking asylum and other visa holders in the community who could be affected by this legislation.
In a statement, CSSV said it “strongly opposes the introduction and passing of this bill, which builds on the injustices entrenched in last year’s migration amendment bills”.
“This legislation fails to uphold the inherent dignity of each human person affected and allows us to distance ourselves from responsibilities that Australia should hold,” CSSV executive director Josh Lourensz said.
“It further erodes the legal protections afforded to those without visas under Australian law.”
Mr Lourensz said the legislation “is bad law and is being used as a solution to a perceived problem”.
“It does not take into account the support, care and good will of communities and Catholic social service organisations who believe that Australia and Australians can uphold the dignity of each person by working together to support people to live a safe and secure life if policy conditions are shifted to a base of compassion,” he said.
“This bill continues a concerning trend of the Government retrospectively legislating its way out of judicial decisions which happen to be politically inconvenient.
“The Government has failed to comprehensively re-evaluate immigration detention and deportation laws in meaningful consultation with legal groups, people seeking asylum, organisations who support people seeking asylum, and those picking up the pieces of flawed policy in the community, such as social and community services and healthcare providers.”
FULL STORY
Labor and Coalition pass deportation laws set to make Nauru a ‘penal colony’ for Australia, critics say (By Sarah Basford Canales and Ben Doherty, The Guardian)
